Separator.



No.- 816,067. PATENTED MAR. 27,1906.

- G. BOETTLER.

SBPARATOR. APPLICATION r1LEDooT.9,19o5.

z SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Witnesses l Inventor by l y lAttorneys UNITED sTATEs PATENT OEEIOE.

GEORGE BOETTLEE, OF sT. PETERsMlssOURI.

` sEPARATo-R.v

Specification of Letters QPatent.4 Application fue@ catter Q 1905.serial No. 282.027.

Patented March 27, 1906. y

cation.

This invention relates to separators employedin threshing-machines forthe purpose of assisting in the process of separating the grain from thestraw, the object ofthe invention being to simplify and improve theconstruction and operation ofthis class of devices.

With these and other ends in view, which will readily appear as thenature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in theimproved construction and novel arrangement and combination ofparts,which will be hereinafter fully described and particularly pointedout in the claims.

'In the accompanying drawings has been illustrated a simple andpreferred form of the` invention, vit being, however, understood that nolimitation is necessarily made to the precise structural details thereinexhibited, but that changes, alterations, and modifica.- tions withinthe scope of the invention may be made when desired. Y p

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view showing the improvedseparator applied to a threshing-machine, the top portion of the casingbeing broken away to exhibit the parts constituting the invention. Fig.2 is a sectional view taken on the plane indicated by the line 2 2 inFig. 1.4 Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the plane indicated by theline 3 3 in Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a sectional detail view taken on the planeindicated by the line44in Fig..1. g

Corresponding partsin the several igures are indicatedthroughout bysimilar characters of'reference.

The present invention relates to of separators which comprise acylindrical structure supported for rotation and includ-4 that classArating-cylinderV to drop tothe grain-pan or other conveying means whichis located in the lower part of the machine.

lThe main shaft 1, carrying the improved separating-cylinder, isprovided with bearings in the sides 2 of the casing of the machine towhich the invention is applied. It is to be understood that theseparating-cylinder of the invention maybe applied to almost any modernthreshing-machine and that its precise location may be changed accordingto the special construction of the machine to which it is applied, itbeing sufficient for the purpose of description to state that theseparating-cylinder is to be located a suitable distance in rear of thethreshing-cylinder, which latter has not been shown in the drawings.

The shaft l carries a pulley or band-wheel 3, which is to be driven bymeans of a belt or band' deriving motion from any suitable source ofower, which may be the cylinder-- carrying s aft of thethreshing-machine.

Securely mounted upon the shaft 1 between the sides of themachine-casing are a plurality of heads consisting of circular disks 44, of which kin the accompanying drawings four have been shown, saiddisks being equi- 'distantly spaced. The disks 4, all of which arefirmly secured upon the shaft l, the diskcarrying portion of which ispreferably noncircular in cross-section, afford bearings for a pluralityof equidistantly-spaced rock-shafts 5 5, which are parallel to the axisof the cylinder. Upon each of these rock-shafts there is mounted aplurality of teeth 6, extending radially therefrom; but it will bespecially noted that the teeth 6 are mounted only upon such portion ofeach shaft as extends between two ofthe heads or disks 4. Thus assumingthat the .cylinder is 'divided lengthwise into f three spacesorcompartments A, B, and C of approximately equal dimensions, it isnecessary to the equal distribution of the teeththat the teeth uponthree successive shafts be placed within the limits of the threesuccessive compartments A, B, and C. Itis also-- desirable that thenumber of rock-shafts employed be a multiple of the number of spaces orcompartments into which the cylinder is lengthwise divided. Thus in theaccomroo' pan ing drawings, the cylinder being divided by our disks orheads into three lengthwise compartments, iifteen rock-shafts havebeen'Y shown, and the circumference of the cylinder will thus beprovided with five broken rows of teeth extending lengthwise of thecylinder and transversely across the casfng of the machine. It is to bedistinctly understood, however, that Ido not limit myself to asubdivision of the cylinder into three spaces, although this is thenumber preferably used.

Likewise a greater numb er of rock-shafts-"forw formed by upstandingflanges 9 9, which are concentric to each other but obviously eccentricto the axis of the shaft 1, which extends `through the bearing-plates,which are preferably provided with collars 10, affording bearings forsaid shaft. The rock-shafts 5 5 are provided at the ends thereof withcranks A 11, carrying friction-rollers 12, which operate 1n thecam-grooves 8, it being observed that the cranks are mounted or securedat opposite ends of alternate rock-shafts, thus enabling a relativelylarge number of rockshafts to be used in the construction of thecylinder without causing confusion in the cooperation of the cranks andcam-grooves by placing the cranks too closely together. Thus when aneven number of rock-shafts are used the cranks connected with one halfof said shafts will be in engagement with the camgroove of thebearing-plate at one side of the y machine, while the other half will bein engagement with the cam-groove of the bearing-plate at the oppositeside of the machine. When, as in the drawings, an uneven number ofrock-shafts are employed, the cam-groove of the bearing-plate at oneside of the machine will accommodate an extra crank in excess of thenumber accommodated by the bearing-plate at the opposite side. This,however, is not found to interfere with the successful operation of theinvention.

The rock-shafts used in connection with the present invention arepreferably iron tubes of suitable dimensions, and the teeth 6 areclamped thereon and secured by bolts 13. The rock-shafts are alsoprovided with set collars 14, adjacent to one of the disks 4, for thepurpose of preventing lateral displacement. Cross-bars 15 and 16,supported between the side members 2 o1 the casing of the machine infront and in rear of the separatingcylinder, serve to support aplurality of spaced straps or bands which extend beneath theseparating-cylinder, said straps being spaced sufficiently to permit theteeth 6 to operate between them. These straps or bands serve as guardsto prevent the straw from becoming entangled with theseparating-cylinder when carried rearwardly through the casng over theshaking-screens 1,8, which have been shown as being connected by meansof Vlishbacks 19 beneath the separating-cylinder. Ordinary well-knownmeans are to be elnpl'oyed for suspending and for impartingreciprocatory motion to the shaking-screens and related parts; but suchmeans have not been illustrated, as they form no part of the presentinvention.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawingshereto annexed, the operation and advantages of this inventoin will bereadily understood' by those skilled in the art to which it appertains.As the threshed material moves rearwardly through the casing of thecylinder, carried by the means usually employed, it will pass intoengagement with the teeth of the separatingcylinder. The arrangement ofthe cranks upon the rock-shafts and the cam-grooves in which said cranksoperate is such that the downgoing teeth upon the front side of thecylinder will be thrown forward to a radial position with relation tosaid cylinder, so that they will project between the straps 17 to thegreatest possible extent and engage the threshed material to theirutmost capacity while the upgoing teeth upon the rear side of thecylinder will gradually assume a position which is approximatelytangential with relation to the cylinder and which is most favorable forshedding the engaged material, which continues its movement in arearward direction.

Owing to the arrangement of the teeth, as hereinbefore described, themoving material will not be simultaneously engaged by a row of teethextending transversely across the machine, but only by a section ofteeth extending across approximately one-third the width of the casing,the teeth connected with three successive rock-shafts being required tooperate upon the entire width of the machine. This is a feature which isconsidered of the greatest importance in connection with this invention,for the reason that the threshed material will thereby be thoroughlydisintegrated and torn asunder, much more so than if simply subjected tothe beating and feeding action of a transverse row of teeth. Thisdisintegration and mastication of the straw places the latter in themost favorable condition for the separation therefrom of grain andgrain-loaded particles, which will drop between the fish-backs orthrough such strawcarrying means as may be employed to receiving meansunderneath. Again, it will be observed that the movement whereby theindividual teeth are thrown from an approximately tangential into anapproximately radial position with relation to the cylinder is timed tooccur at the point where the teeth enter into engagement with the movingmass of threshed material, which is thus subjected IOO to a distinctwhipping action, which is extremely effective in stirring the straw andvro loosening therefrom such grains as may still adhere.

l The general construction of the improved separating device is simpleand inexpensive and is of such a nature as to enable the device to bereadily applied for operation to threshing-machines of variouswell-known constructions. n

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed isl Y 1.Aseparating-cylinder including a yplu'- rality of disks, a plurality ofrock-shafts supported in said disks, and teeth upon successiverock-shafts disposed between successive pairs of disks according to thearrangement of the latter longitudinally of the shaft.

2. A se arating device for Athreshing-machines inc uding a cylindricalstructure supported for rotation and comprising a plurality of spaceddisks and a plurality of rockshafts supported circumferentially infthedisks, each of said rock-shafts having a toothed portion extendingbetween two of f the supporting-disks.

'3. A separating device for threshing-machines including a cylindricalstructure supported for rotation and comprising a shaft, a plurality ofdisks supported upon said shaft and spaced apart, aplurality ofrock-shafts extending throughall of the disks and each having a toothedportion extending between two of the disks only, cranks upon therockshafts, and bearing-'plates having camgrooves engaging said cranks;

' 4. A separating device for threshing-Inachines .including acylindrical structure supported for rotation and comprising a shaft, aplurality of spaced disks upon said shaft, a plurality of rock-shaftsextending through all of the disks and each having a toothed portionextending between two of the disks only, cranks upon the rock-shafts,and bearingplates having camgrooves engaging said cranks; in combinationwith sup orted straps extending beneath and partially encircling thecylinder, said straps being spaced apart for the passage of the teeth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aiiixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE BOETTLER. Witnesses W. P. HINEs, J. W. KELsIcK.

